Make a Separate Sick Room, if You Can
Caring for Someone Sick at Home
Keeping the person with flu in a separate sick room can help keep others in the family from getting the flu.
Take these steps to create a separate sick room:
- Try to give the sick person their own room. If there is more than one sick person, they can share the sick room if needed.
- If you have more than one bathroom, have sick people use one bathroom and well people use the other one.
- Give each sick person their own drinking glass, washcloth, and towel.
Have these items in the sick room
- Tissues
- Trash can with lid and lined with a plastic trash bag
- Alcohol-based hand rub
- Cooler or pitcher with ice and drinks
Cup with straw or squeeze bottle to help with drinking
- Thermometer
- Humidifier (A machine that puts tiny drops of water into the air. This extra moisture can make it easier for the sick person to breathe.)
- Facemasks (Sick people should wear a facemask if available when they leave the sick room or are around other people.)
About medicines in the sick room
- Store all medicines out of reach of children. If you have no young children in the home, place medicines for adults in the sick room.
- Write down medicine dose and when doses are needed.
- Page last reviewed: August 13, 2010
- Page last updated: August 13, 2010
- Content source: